September 7, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 07.09.2026, 14:12
CSAT The President of Romania, Nicusor Dan, has today summoned the country’s Higher Defence Council, CSAT. According to the Presidential administration, high on the session’s agenda are the equipment procurement plan for the Romanian army for the following 10 years, an assessment document on applying the SAFE programme, approved last month as well as the consolidation of the US military presence on the Romanian territory. According to the Presidential Administration, other topical issues in the field of national security are to be discussed.
TALKS A temporary ceasefire established with Russia against the background of the visit the two US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, paid to Moscow and Kyiv expires today in Ukraine. The two US envoys have presented the two sides with a peace proposal made by President Donald Trump, but they failed to break the deadlock, which has dragged on for more than six months. Upon the talks in Moscow, Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine must renounce sovereignty over a considerable part of its territory. In turn, Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky said after meeting the US envoys that the war would continue in winter as well. This new round of talks was held against the background of the insignificant progress the Russian troops made this year.
TENNIS Romania’s tennis player, Sorana Cirstea, has conceded defeat to the third-seeded US challenger, Jesica Pegula, in two sets, 6-3, 6-4, in the eighth finals of the US Open tournament, the year’s last Grand Slam tournament. In the previous round, 16th-seeded Cirstea clinched a two-nil win against Jasmine Paolini of Italy. In the Grand Slam’s tournaments of 2026, Cirstea made it to the second round of the Australian Open, to the quarters of Roland Garros and the third round of Wimbledon.
SCHOOL School kicked off today for nearly three million students and preschoolers in Romania. Overall, the structure of the school year remains divided into five learning modules. For the majority of students, the last day of classes is June 18, 2027. The new school year introduces national assessment standards for pupils now starting the first grade. Those entering high school for the first time will also encounter something new: they will study according to different curriculum frameworks. Interim Minister of Education Mihai Dimian estimates that they will be able to use printed textbooks in the second half of October, while digital versions will be available starting this month. Education union leaders point out that the school year is beginning with major issues: teachers who do not know if they will be able to fulfill their required teaching load, and an excessive number of unqualified teachers currently instructing students.
WILDFIRES The 69 Romanian firefighters who operated in Serbia for two weeks returned home on Saturday after assisting their counterparts in the neighboring country in battling wildfires that affected vast areas and entire communities. According to the Department for Emergency Situations, this support was provided through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, following a request from Belgrade. For this mission, Romania deployed 15 pieces of equipment, including an S-70M Black Hawk helicopter—part of the rescEU strategic reserve of emergency response capabilities. It is worth noting that a third contingent of 40 Romanian firefighters arrived in Greece last week to relieve the teams that had been operating there for the previous two weeks.
VOTE The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has won a landslide victory in the regional elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt (east), securing 44% of the vote, according to partial results. The Christian Democrats (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz garnered only 18% in an election that places the AfD—an anti-immigration, pro-Russia, and pro-Trump party—in a strong position to govern a state for the first time since 1945. AFP notes that Merz has faced a series of setbacks since taking office in May 2025, having promised to halt the rise of the AfD, which became the country’s second-largest political force in last year’s general election.
GOVERNMENT Romania’s President, Nicușor Dan, is expected to announce the candidate for the office of Prime Minister in the coming days. The PNL and USR—both center-right parties that, together with the UDMR, make up the interim government in Bucharest—categorically refuse to be part of an executive alongside the PSD (center-left), which has moved into opposition. The PSD claims it is ready to build a parliamentary majority to support a single-party government comprising its own ministers or a broader cabinet formed around the PSD. Meanwhile, the nationalist opposition—represented by AUR, a party seeing a strong rise in the polls—proposes holding early elections. It is worth noting that Romania has been without a stable government since early May, following the parliamentary endorsement of a no-confidence motion against the cabinet led by Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who continues to serve in an interim capacity.
(bill)
